When Will Antony Make His Manchester United Debut? Erik Ten Hag Offers Update

Erik ten Hag has opened up about the debut of Manchester United's new summer signing Antony.

Manchester United officially announced the signing of Brazilian forward Antony on Thursday. The Red Devils paid around $94 million to Ajax for Antony, who joined the Old Trafford side on a five-year contract.

Later in the day, Manchester United defeated Leicester City 1-0 at King Power Stadium to secure their third straight victory in the 2022-23 Premier League. It was also Ten Hag and Co.'s second consecutive league win on the road.

In a post-match interview, a reporter quizzed Ten Hag about Antony's debut. The Dutchman hinted that the 22-year-old Brazilian forward could make his first appearance Sunday when the side hosts Arsenal in the Premier League.

"We have to see. Today he did his first training, individual, and then we have two team sessions and we will see for Sunday," Ten Hag was quoted by Man Utd's website.

Ten Hag, who previously managed Antony at Ajax, heaped praise on the young forward, saying the Brazilian will bring "temperament and fighting spirit" to the team.

"Of course, I am really excited, a really good signing. He will bring temperament, creativity, fighting spirit and we need quality in numbers in the offensive department," said Ten Hag in an interview after Man Utd's 1-0 win at Leicester.

Meanwhile, the former Real Madrid pair, Casemiro and Cristiano Ronaldo, did not start against Leicester and came off the bench in the second half. Ten Hag went on to confirm that the duo is yet to regain full fitness.

"Once Casemiro and Ronnie [Cristiano Ronaldo] get fitter and fitter, we will [have] more contributions to give to the team," added Ten Hag.

Jadon Sancho netted a goal in the 23rd minute that turned down to be the only goal scored in the whole game Thursday. Speaking of the victory, Sancho said they managed to beat Leicester because they "stuck to the game plan."

"We stuck to the game plan. We knew Leicester would come out fighting in the second half, and as you could see, they had a few chances towards the end. Leicester's not easy but the team stuck at it, and we got the three points at the final whistle," Sancho told MUTV after helping his side win.

With the latest victory, Ten Hag's Manchester United have climbed to fifth place in the 2022-23 Premier League table. They have nine points from five games, one more than arch-rivals Liverpool FC. The Red Devils are six points behind table-toppers Arsenal, their opponents in Sunday's match.